Top 10 professional life coaching myths

Myth 5: Personal coaching takes too much time.

Fact: Professional coaching is a high-leverage activity. Clients can achieve remarkable progress toward their desired future in less than an hour per month of coaching. There is a wide spectrum of how coaching is delivered. Some coaches prefer to meet one-on-one with clients in an office, but most recommend telephone sessions for the ease of use, minimization of distractions, better privacy, greater efficiency, and for (yes, apparently) better connection to the client. Best practices in coaching call for between two and four sessions per month that last at least 20 minutes and up to 60 minutes. A sweet spot for many coaches and clients seems to be three sessions per month for 20 to 45 minutes a session - a miniscule investment of time for the results achieved.

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[sydney0719]

It is truly amazing to see the flagrant self promoting by members of the 'coaching' industry. As a non-coaching industry member of the public, it is scam in most instances.
- A coach is used in sports for the express purposes of managing the team. Some professional teams have managers also, but the head coach is a manager of trainers and 'experts' aka coaches.
- I can show most if not all points in this article and comments to be false but there is not enough space here.
- Almost all if not most of the so-called coaches are people who are failures or near failures in their own lives but find 'coaching' people is a way to make money. Most counselors and psychologists have more problems than their patients, but they will admit to it. 'Coaches' are just like financial advisers, if they were so great, why would they be hounding us for a job? A great financial wizard makes his/her own money investing, they don't need to be selling their knowledge. Does Warren call you up and ask you for an appointment? Same goes for some one who has it together in life or profession, they go their own way.
- Credentialing does not do much, the stock brokers are regulated. How many scam artists are out there selling stocks?
- This article is a sham promoted by someone who just promotes himself. Dr. Phil is not an authority. It is a copyrighted name (The man had his title of Doctor taken away so he is using his father's title)

Geez people wake up and stop believing all of this non-sense.

[tres1162]

You nailed it. I've heard so many coaches talk talk talk about success until I realized that they make their living off the material they sell, and hardly the coaching itself (save a small percentage).

Some coaches encourage the unemployed to also pursue coaching and even offer their own training programs. What's the sense in that? If you're unsuccessful in your own career search, should you really be advising others on how to find their career?

[WhereisOT]

People pay for this stuff...seriously...

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all"
Oscar Wilde

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle"
Albert Einstein

"In time we hate that which we often fear"
Shakespeare

"If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace" John Lennon

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness... only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate...only love can do that" Martin Luther King Jr

"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream" Some dog painter...

Put me in Coach...

[pjwhite1]

This is an amazingly accurate article, at last. At Aspire Life Coaching we provide a supportive, caring, transformational experience for change in which one is able to define their life's purpose which always values your uniqueness and brings forth your greatness.

Our mission is to create a safe, supportive space for transformation of our client's in which they are guided, encouraged, and advocated for with the utmost respect and integrity for your individual needs. Our services are supported by phone, skype, email and in person.

[e-mail]

[Life_Coach_George]

Believe what you will...Life Coaching has helped hundreds of thousands of people achieve their most important goals, where they had not been able to before. It turns our lights on and helps us to discover ideas that we were not able to before. It allows people to see the possibilities that they have previously shut out due to their aquired negativity. Life coaching is a valuable process. That is an undeniable truth. So once again, believe what you will...prestigelifecoaching.com

[Norman_Miller]

I agree. I sell a certain secret brand of snake oil that cures baldness, makes men more attractive to women, and can help ordinary gents succeed in every endeavor. This has been proven in many studies to be an absolute fact well beyond any possibility of not being true. www.snakeoil.com

[coachcurran]

Great article! I think you clearly touched upon the major life coaching myths and have demonstrated the value life coaching brings to others in helping them achieve their goals.Credentials are important, however, RESULTS are what clients pay for in the final analysis!

[OnenessLifeCoach]

I would say a diploma or certification does not guaranty results. Plenty of people with degrees but no successful results to show for. Not sure if Mr. Robbins has a degree or not but I don't care. He is able to motivate people and that is what a coach gets paid to do.

[tracycrossley]

In an unregulated industry it has become quite an issue to certify or not certify. Many people who have certification are still not people I may look to for coaching. And there are those who hang a sign for any industry, which has no legal standards and they call themselves whatever the trendy title is of the moment.

I am a coach. I have been one for the past 3.5 years.I have a bachelors degree in Psychology (which really has very little to do with what I offer to my clients) I have solid success with my clients, but I am not certified. I have toyed with the idea several times and am still on the fence. The reasons are simple. I had training from two different sources. One of my sources was a PhD who had developed a transformative coaching program at a psychology graduate school. She is not certified and has no plans to become certified. And that is where I share her outlook. There is no reason or validity to the claim that once this industry is regulated, those who are certified will have a leg up versus those who don't have certification. No one has any idea what the standards will be for coaching; I am still undecided and may decide at some point to go through certification, because it adversely affects my business to not do so...

[24hourwealth]

Terrific article, well researched and filled out, although it seemed to end on a joke instead of a conclusion! It is good to see that Robert Pagliarini is a Certified Financial Planner with a background in hard numbers, data, ROI, business and investment. There's nothing wrong with the more "airy-fairy" coaches, but it can be hard to justify the investment when you cannot measure it. Like Robert, I started out in the left-brained areas of analytical financial planning and business, then later discovered the psychology of right-mindedness, happiness and fulfilment. Can you teach a mortgage broker, tax accountant, financial adviser or stock broker to meditate, seek peace and be happy in their relationships (both workplace and personal)? The answer seems to be a resounding YES, and it also seems to pay for itself financially as well as emotionally. More happiness, less stress, less sick days, more office cohesion: I am loving this!
Jeremy Britton

[TexasRICH6]

If the benefits associated with coaching are even half what the article suggests the investment in coach gives a great ROI and ROE...return on energy.

Do you know any pro sports team without a coach? Did you have a coach in high school and/or college? So when you need a coach the most i.e. running a business where do you get your game plan, hold yourself accountable to implementing what you know and remain motivated to do the small things today that gets you the big dreams tomorrow especially when the going gets tough?

We coach over 18,000 business owners a week globally through a 1000 offices through the boom/bust economic cycles, dozens of industry segments, various cultures & languages and all types of owner personalities. So we know coaching works...the question is whether it's right for the business owner? We know what it takes to get through the time, team and money challenges that get in the way of predictable profits and productivity. So if the business owner is committed to growth then determine whether coaching is right for them.

[lalipredebon]

Even though coaching has many successful cases, I am extremely concerned about the situation exposed in myth #1. All around, calling yourself a coach has become trendy and fashion in the business world. Coaching courses cost a LOT - not surprised many people start coaching without attending one. I live in Brazil and I could say there are many coaches here that aren't even aware of certain important psychology concepts; however, as psychologists, they deal with deep aspects of the human being. I'm afraid it may become more of self help - dare I question how far self help is from brainwashing.